To be a Republican in 2007 you have to believe concurrently that:

To be a Republican in 2007 you have to believe concurrently that:
"
Jesus loves you, but shares your deep hatred of homosexuals and Hillary Clinton.
"
A woman can't be trusted with decisions about her own body, but multi-national
corporations can make decisions affecting all humankind without regulation.
"
The United States should get out of the United Nations, but our highest national
priority is enforcing U. N. resolutions against Iraq and Iran.
"
"Standing Tall for America" means firing your workers and moving their jobs to
India.
"
Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a conservative
radio host. Then it's an illness and you need our prayers for your recovery.
"
The best way to improve military morale is to praise the troops in speeches, while
slashing veterans' benefits and combat pay.
"
A president lying about an extramarital affair is an impeachable offense. A
president lying about WMD existence to enlist support for an unprovoked, undeclared
war and occupation in which thousands of soldiers and hundreds of thousands civilians
die, is, somehow, solid "defense" policy in a "War against Terrorism".
"
Group sex and drug use are degenerate sins, unless you someday run for governor
of California as a Republican.
"
If condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents won't have sex.
"
A good way to fight terrorism is to belittle our long-time allies, but then demand
their cooperation and money.
"
Providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy. Providing health care to all
Americans is socialism.
"
HMOs and insurance companies make profits and have the interest of the public
at heart.
"
Global warming and tobacco's link to cancer are junk science, but creationism
should be taught in schools.
"
Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him and Rumsfeld reassured him he
was our buddy. A bad guy when Bush's daddy made war on him, a good guy when
Cheney did business with him. But, then a bad guy again when Bush junior needed a
prop for his re-election campaign as the "war president".
"
Iran was a good country when Ford and Rumsfeld and Cheney, along with
General Electric, gave them our nuclear technology in the 1970's. Good guys when
Cheney did business with them in the 1990's. But, then bad guys when Bush junior
needed a prop for his re-election campaign as the "war president".
"
Iraq was a good country when Reagan and Rumsfeld gave them our chemical
warfare technology in the 1980's. Bad guys when our we authorized their over flights to
gas their own population, and then good guys, again, when Cheney did business with
them. But, then bad guys when Bush junior needed a prop for his re-election campaign
as the "war president".
"
It is okay that the Bush family's "Carlisle Group" has made millions doing
business with the Bin Laden family.
"
Government should limit itself to the powers named in the Constitution, which
should include "banning gay marriages and censoring the Internet".
"
The public has a right to know about Hillary's cattle trades, but George Bush's
illegal insider Harken Oil stock trade should be sealed in his Daddy's library, and is
none of our business.
"
What Bill Clinton or John Kerry did in the 1960s was of vital national interest but
Bush & Cheney's drug and alcohol felony arrests in the '80s are irrelevant.
"
Trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is communist, but trade with
China and Vietnam is vital to a "spirit of international harmony".
"
Affirmative Action is wrong, but it is OK for your Daddy and his friends (here
and in Saudi Arabia) to get you to graduate from Yale without studying much; to dodge
the draft in the Texas Air National Guard; to bail out your company Harken Oil and the
Texas Rangers; to get the Governorship of Texas and then to have the Supreme Court
appoint you President of the USA.
"
You are a conservative, but it is OK to spend like there is no tomorrow and run up
deficits that your grandchildren will have to pay, while at the same refunding as much
tax money as possible to rich people who do not need it

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The original piece said "Republican" and had a 2006 date on it. I left the former and changed the latter - that being a minor thing - but I really feel that the difference between Republicans and Democrats is about as relevant as the one between Kosher Pepsi and Kosher Coke and that to vote for either factions of the Business Party (as Chomsky says) or of the "Republicrats" (as Mumia Abu Jamal calls them) makes absolutely no difference.

To vote Nader of Liberterian might be better, though that idea bothers me also as it condones an entire system which is either a farce or an obscenity depending on your point of view. Since I am an 'alien' and since I have no intention of aquiering the Imperial citizenship (-: three passports are enough :-) the entire issue is rather theoretical for me, but not for my wife. She used to vote for the Dems, but after Clinton betrayed every single promise he had made, began the first imperial war of agression - against Yugoslavia - and totally betrayed the American poor and destitute she will never vote for these guys again.

Now that the entire Dem Party has made itself accomplice of US and Israeli war crimes in Lebanon the entire DNC and all Democractic House Representatives - except 8 - belong in jail. Since they also voted for the American "quiet Kristallnacht" (the Military Commissions Act) they should also be considered as traitors to the US Constitution.

I recently met some people who know Nader personally and they assured me that he is, kind, honest and dedicated to his ideals.

As for the Liberterians, I know little about them besides that their former Presidential candidate had Scott Horton as his foreign policy advisor. A very, very good choice I think.

But voting in this charade still seems the wrong thing to do for me. I think the entire system needs to be challenged non-violently and locally as Alexander Solzhenitsyn and Arundhati Roy have said.

Since the Empire is, well, an Empire maybe Arundhati Roy should be elected "Imperial Empress" :-))

She would get my vote. Arundhati for Empress!

VS